GENRE CASTINGS IN ABOMINABLE
A number of genre veterans have gathered in the mountains of Southern California for ABOMINABLE, a new horror film about a rampaging Sasquatch. The film, which started shooting Monday for 24 days (and is no relation to the same-titled film once developed by Universal for Jean-Claude Van Damme to star), marks the feature debut of Ryan Schifrin, son of Oscar-nominated composer Lalo (THE AMITYVILLE HORROR) Schifrin.
ABOMINABLE can best be described as Bigfoot meets REAR WINDOW, the writer/director tells Fango. It centers on a paralyzed man who is trapped in a remote cabin and must save a group of college students vacationing nearby from a menacing monster.
Unlike past Bigfoot movies and TV shows such as the family-friendly HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS and the recent Lance Henriksen-starrer SASQUATCH, in which the legendary beast turned out to be the good guy, ABOMINABLEs monster goes for the jugular. Our goal is to make a scary, high-quality horror movie that leaves a lasting impression the way films like RE-ANIMATOR, DAY OF THE DEAD, THE THING, HALLOWEEN and many others made an impression on me when I was younger, Schifrin says. Were hoping for a theatrical release, of course, as wed like to reach the widest possible audience. We want the film to be successful, so well be able to go on and make another movie. I want to capture the big feel of those late-70s/early-80s Spielberg movies, just as M. Night Shyamalan set out to do in THE SIXTH SENSE and SIGNS, which referenced JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND and E.T. Plus, ABOMINABLE will mix in a dose of Hitchcock and a large helping of gritty, realistic terror.
Schifrin and wife Teresa, who is producing the film, have assembled a genre-friendly and familiar cast for ABOMINABLE. Matt McCoy, the dad from THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, is the lead. Hes the guy in the wheelchair, Schifrin notes, the Jimmy Stewart role. Fresh off a supporting turn in writer/director Anthony Ferrantes BOO, Dee Wallace Stone (best known for E.T., CUJO, THE HOWLING and THE FRIGHTENERS) is Ethel Hoss, a farmer who discovers the creature eating her livestock, with Rex (BREAKDOWN) Linn as her husband. Paul (BREAKFAST CLUB) Gleason is the sheriff, a cynic who doesnt believe in monsters, while Phil (MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE) Morris is the deputy who does believe and wants to help. Best of all, Schifrin reveals, Jeffrey Combs is a very David Lynch-style clerk who runs the local gas station and knows more than he lets on. Combs will reportedly shoot his cameo in one day.
As for the Bigfoot bait (i.e. the group of girls who come up to stay in the cabin next door to McCoys character), the ensemble consists of Tiffany Shepis (the rising cult star of SCARECROW, TED BUNDY, TROMEO & JULIET and the new HOME SICK and THE HAZING), Ashley (THE O.C.) Hartman, Karin Anna (BETTER LUCK TOMORROW) Cheung, Haley Joel and Natalie Compagno. Neal Fredericks, the director of photography on THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT whose latest film THE LEGEND OF DIABLO debuts on DVD from Aztec/Spartan next month, serves as director of photography on the 35mm film. ABOMINABLEs creature and gore FX will be handled by Christien Tinsley, fresh off THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, CATWOMAN and THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK. Monster suit veteran Mike (TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE: THE MOVIE) Deak will done the Sasquatchs duds.
Our Bigfoot isnt benign, says Schifrin, who will shop ABOMINABLE to potential distributors once the film is complete. Hes like an inbred, mutated, homicidal version of the one from HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS. There have been sightings of hairy bipeds all over the world, and our monster is the kind you dont hear about because people who encountered it never survived to tell the tale. If we can make people scared of the woods the way JAWS made people scared of the water, well have done our job!
Courtesy of Fangoria
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